Refrigerated photographic finishing equipment



April 18, 1950 F. A. NELSON ET AL REFRIGERATED PHOTOGRAPHIC FINISHING EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 24. 1948 Frank ,4. Ne/spfl Jesse "(g "fly i 22 44 3e 74 34 g 76 26 l -30- Q 42 1 h INVENTORS Wa/IPr F Robinson Louis B. Orenoorff Patented Apr. 18, 1950 REFRIGERATED PHOTOGRAPHIC FINISHING EQUIPMENT Frank A. Nelson, Jesse W. Berry, Walter F. Rob'- inson, and Louis B. Orendorlf, Kansas City, Mo.

Application February 24, 1948, Serial No. 10,418

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates broadly to the field of refrigeration and more specifically to equipment particularly adaptable for use in finishing photographs.

The primary object being to provide a refrigerated cabinet adaptable not only to store the chemicals and other apparatus used by the photographer but to maintain chemicals within the developing pans at a desired predetermined temperature.

The most important object of this invention is a provision for photograph finishing cabinets having a number of compartments formed therein; one of which is disposed along the top of the cabinet for containing a liquid to be cooled and adaptable to support a number of the photograph developing trays.

Another important object of this invention is to provide photograph finishing cabinet having a cooling apparatus common to various compartments thereof and disposed particularly in an derlying relationship to an open top compartment and extending into compartment of the cabinet to simultaneously cool the developing trays within the open top compartment and to maintain the second cooling compartment at a predetermined temperature.

Other objects of this invention include the way in which the various compartments of the cabinet are separated by insulated walls, the way in which the refrigerating mechanism is segregated within the cabinet from the cooled compartments thereof, and the manner in which the open top tray and the underlying cooling coils are drained through a common conduit.

Other objects of this invention will be made clear during the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing; wherein,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the refrigerated photograph finishing equipment made in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a substantially central vertical crosssectional view taken on line II-II of Fig. l.

The cabinet shown in the drawing and broadly designated by the numeral I8 constitutes an upright, hollow structure having a pair of opposed side walls l2 and I4, and end walls I and It, supported by a plurality of feet or legs 2 The top of cabinet I0 is open and a horizontal partition 22 spaced from the uppermost end of the cabinet It! sets forth a relatively shallow compartment 24. A vertical partition 26 divides the remainder of the cabinet l0 into a pair of compartments 28 and 30. A portion of the bottom 32 of the cabinet I0, together with end wall l8 and vertical partition 26 is of double-wall con struction, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and has suitable insulation 34 disposed between such double walls.

Secured to the horizontal constitutes the bottom of compartment 24 in underlying relationship thereto is a relatively fiat, shallow pan 36. This pan 36 is partly disposed within the compartment 30 of cabinet in and extends along the uppermost edge of the framework partition '26 into a chamber 38 overlying the compartment 28. A plurality of refrigerating coils 49 disposed within this pan 36 and in direct underlying relationship to the compartment 24 has connection with a conventional refrigerating compressor 42 through a pair of connecting conduits 4'4 and 46.

This compressor 42, together with a prime mover, preferably in the form of an electric motor 48, is mounted within the compartment 28- and directly upon a bottom wall 50 thereof. This compartment 28 is bounded on one side by the uninsulated wall I6 and on the opposite side by a double-wall vertical partition 26.

One end of the compartment 28 forming a part of the side wall I 4 of cabinet III has an access opening 52 formed therein, while a similar access opening in opposed relationship thereto and formed in the side wall l2 of cabinet i0 is covered by a removable plate 54, attached to wall i2 by means of a number of screws or the like 56.

It is notable as illustrated in Fig. 2 that the insulated end wall l8 of cabinet [8 extends upwardly beyond the horizontal partition 22.

By the same token, a portion of the end wall it above compartment 28 is of double-wall construction for receiving insulation 34 as at 58.

By the same token, that part of the side walls 12 and I4 defining the compartment 30 is of double-wall construction and contains insulation 34 and also extends upwardly beyond the partition '22 to set forth the compartment 24.

A pair of spaced apart walls having insulation 34 therebetween and disposed horizontally within the cabinet IO between the compartment 28 thereof and the chamber 38. This horizontal c ivided partition is designated by the numeral 633.

The compartment 24 is adaptable to contain a filling of liquid 62 wherein is disposed a plurality film developing pan 64. An L-shaped conduit 68 having connection with a suitable drain (not shown) joins with the partition 22 for draining the liquid 62 of compartment 24 as desired. A suitable plug 58 within the conduit 66 holds the partition 22 which liquid 62 within the compartment 24 as shown in Fig. 2. This L-shaped conduit 66 extends downwardly from the partition 22 through the double partition 60 and thence outwardly through an opening formed in the end wall Hi of cabinet 10.

A second L-shaped conduit interconnects the pan 35 and the conduit 66 to receive any condensate from the refrigerating coils 40. Access to the compartment 30 is through a hingedly mounted closure 12 of conventional character and any number of shelves such as at 74 may be mounted within the compartment 30 for receiving the various photographic chemicals used.

The liquid 62 within the compartment 24 is maintained at a desired temperature through the medium of a thermal bulb '16 disposed within the liquid 62 and having connection with a switch 18 mounted within compartment 28 by means of aconduit 80. This switch 18 is joined to the motor 48- by wires 82 and to a suitable source of electrical energy (not shown) by means of a cord 84.

It is readily seen from the foregoing that the cabinet it serves the dual purpose providing a cabinet 38 that is maintained at a desired cooled temperature for receiving the chemical and other materials used by the photographer, and at the same time providing means for maintaining the chemical within developing pans 6-3 at a predetermined temperature.

- The pans 64 are disposed conveniently at the top of cabinet ii) within the cooled liquid 62 and may be easily removed for draining of chamical therein or for cleaning as desired.

By the same token, the compartment 24' may be easily cleaned by removal of the plug 68 to drain liquid 62 therefrom. The cooling coils 40 are utilized not only to cool the liquid 62 but to maintain compartment 30 in a refrigerated condition and all condensate forming thereon will ordinarily drain down conduit 10.

Both the compartment 24 and the compartment 30 are well insulated from the compartment 28 and the refrigerating mechanism including motor 58 and compressor 42 is convenientlyhoused and segregated from compartments 24 and 36.

While only one modification of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A photograph finishing cabinet comprising an open top body; a a horizontal partition mounted in the body adjacent said open top thereof presenting a shallow compartment thereabove adapted to contain a liquid filling, said partition being formed from a heat-conducting material; cooling structure underlying said partition; a housing formed from heat-conducting material and depending from the partition, said housing being formed to cooperate with the partition in enclosing the cooling structure; a vertical partition depending from the housing and setting off a pair of separate chambers in the body below the horizontal partition; and apparatus in one of said chambers operably connected with said structure for cooling the same.

2. A photograph finishing cabinet comprising an open top body; a horizontal partition mounted in the body adjacent said open top thereof presenting a shallow compartment thereabove adapted to contain a liquid filling, said partition being formed from a heat-conducting material; cooling structure underlying said partition; a housing formed from heat-conducting material and depending from the partition, said housing being formed to cooperate with the partition in enclosing the cooling structure; a vertical partition depending from the housing and setting oil a pair of separate chambers in the body below the horizontal partition; and apparatus in one of said chambers operably connected with said structure for cooling the same, all walls of the other chamber including said vertical partition and exclusive of said housing and said horizontal partition being insulated.

3. A photograph finishing cabinet comprising an open top body; a horizontal partition mounted in the body adjacent said open top thereof presenting a shallow compartment thereabove adapted to contain a liquid filling, said partition being formed from a heat-conducting material; cooling structure underlying said partition; a housing formed from heat-conducting material and depending from the partition, said housing being formed to cooperate with the partition in enclosing the cooling structure; a vertical partition depending from the housing and setting oil a pair of separate chambers in the body below the horizontal partition; and apparatus in one of said chambers operably connected with said structure for cooling the same, the walls of the other chamber including said vertical partition and exclusive of said housing and said horizontal partition being insulated, said one chamber having an insulated top wall separating the same from the housing and from the horizontal partition.

FRANK A. NELSON. JESSE W. BERRY. WALTER F. ROBINSON. LOUIS B. ORENDORFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

